Newcastle United brutally bullied Queens Park Rangers into submission on their own patch as the Magpies recorded their biggest league away win in 54 years.

Rafa Benitez’s men triumphed 6-0 at Loftus Road to extend their winning run to six matches across all competitions and move to within a point of pacesetters Huddersfield Town.

Goals from Ayoze Perez, Ciaran Clark, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Grant Hanley - as well as a brace from Jonjo Shelvey - ensured that Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s men were well and truly put to the sword on a sweltering night in west London.

Here’s what we learned from a game in which United sent out a message to the rest of the Championship...

1. How did Aleksandar Mitrovic fare on his Championship bow?

Not only did he have his EFL Cup appearance ended just half-an-hour in due to concussion, that injury also kept him out of the victory over Brighton and then he was hooked after an hour on international duty for earlier this month.

Having left him to stew on the bench at the iPro Stadium at the weekend, Benitez finally unleashed Mitrovic for his first ever Championship appearance - and his first league game since May 15 when he was dismissed against Tottenham Hotspur.

Benitez has been concerned with the Serbia international’s temperament, as well his lack of match fitness, but finally gave him his second-tier bow on a stifling night in west London.

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3. Maybe NUFC can be a bit more expansive after all - and in 20-degree-plus heat too

On a night when Manchester City were forced to postpone their Champions League tie with Borussia Monchengladbach due to a waterlogged pitch, QPR and Newcastle ran out in plus-20-degree temperatures on a stiflingly hot evening in west London.

In such heat, the majority expected United to adapt a similar approach to their last two away wins; sit deep, let the opposition come on to them, and then nick a goal at the other end.

But far from it. Once United got themselves ahead in the 12th minute, they went into bullying mode - and left with their biggest league away win in 54 years.

They out-fought, out-ran and out-thought QPR. The home side appeared shell-shocked and just could not snap out of it.

Newcastle poured forward in numbers as the game progressed and made their superiority tell.

At no point did they even consider relenting.

Shelvey, Matt Ritchie and Isaac Hayden kept fizzing enticing balls through to Mitrovic and Perez, who stretched the home defence.

Seemingly, Benitez’s Magpies can win in more than one particular way on the road after all.

5. Forget the Championship goal of the month competition, it should be a Newcastle one

Yoan Gouffran scored his brilliant volley at the weekend, while United loanee Adam Armstrong also joined in the act by netting a curler after a cheeky backheel for Barnsley.

And, when you consider the fact Dwight Gayle picked up the award for the Championship goal of the month in August, the Magpies already look like they have three contenders for September after Shelvey’s second.

Standing 22 yards out, Shelvey spotted that Smithies was not quite rooted to his line.

The 24-year-old then opened up his body, curled a shot high and over Smithies; it then dipped wickedly and nestled in the top corner of the net.

It was majestic - and adds to an ever-increasing compilation of Newcastle stunners.

Maybe the award should be renamed...

6. The most pleasing aspect for Rafa probably won’t be the one you’d expect

For a side to score six goals away from home is pretty amazing. Most fans and players would see that as the most pleasing aspect of this dominant scoreline.

But you suspect not Rafa Benitez.

Instead, the fact United have now gone 490 mins - more than eight hours - without conceding a goal in all competitions will likely be what he will be most content with.

He wants Newcastle to be hard to beat. If you don’t concede, you can’t lose.

Mind you, if you manage to score six, it would take some to lose too...